


A Stupid Idea

by GeekTriangle



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (but actually clothes stealing), Bucky Barnes doesn't know how to flirt so he does stupid shit instead, Clint responds with doing more stupid shit, Deaf Clint Barton, Insecure Clint Barton, M/M, Oblivious Clint Barton, Sharing Clothes, Winterhawk Wonderland Gift Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22057048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeekTriangle/pseuds/GeekTriangle
Summary: ‘That’s my hoodie.’ he said.Idly Natasha looked up from her phone.‘Oh, now you notice.’‘I- what?’‘Clint, he has been breaking into your room and stealing clothes for what must be weeks now. That you still have clothes left is honestly a miracle.'
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton
Comments: 11
Kudos: 223
Collections: Winterhawk Wonderland





	A Stupid Idea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mado](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mado/gifts).



> For Mado, I hope you had a great year, and I wish you an even better one! This story is written for you prompt 'clothes sharing', it turned out a bit more of clothes stealing, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!
> 
> <3

Clint wasn’t wearing his aids, because it was futz o’ clock early and futz Steve for agreeing to do a press conference in the morning, and screw Natasha for actually dragging him out bed for it. Not only had she chased him from his bed, she also did it an hour before they had to actually leave. He could’ve slept fifty precious minutes longer. Ten minutes were time enough to get dressed, hell if he was really motivated it even was enough time to run a comb through his hair. Natasha inexplicably disagreed.  
  
So he shuffled into the common kitchen of the tower, knowing very well that his own pantry was still very much empty, and was immediately relieved he had left his aids behind because Tony was standing on the coffee table, gesturing broadly and almost looking like he was doing a Shakespearean play all on his own. Hell maybe he was, he certainly was the kind of guy who would have no trouble doing it. Normally Clint would be all about that, listening to Tony rant and rave about the way somebody from the press had wronged him again was the kind of show that you couldn’t find the likes of in the theatres. However, that was when it was an acceptable hour that wasn’t before eleven and when Clint had gotten first coffee quite some time ago.  
  
Bruce was drinking his tea, sitting on the lounging chair and looking up at Tony, sometimes nodding like he was actually taking it seriously. Sam was standing, arms crossed over each other and also staring at Tony with the kind of grin on his face that meant he was riling Tony up.  
That guy was almost worse than Steve somedays.

Steve, who was sitting by the kitchen island with Bucky. Both were already fully dressed in their uniform. Bucky hair was still kinda damp from the shower he always took after running. He might’ve continued the thought about Bucky showering if he didn’t notice the thing Bucky was holding

‘That’s my mug.’ He said, or at least, he was pretty sure he said that.

Bucky looked up and smiled at him, or smiled. It was more like a smirk. He then set the mug to his lips and took several large gulps, before setting the mug down with what looked like a little more force than necessary.

Clint blinked. 

Steve kicked Bucky shins and said something. The way he looked up at Clint meant that he was probably talking to him instead of Bucky. Clint shook his head and vaguely motioned to his ears. If it was too early to listen to people talk, it was also way too early to start lip reading. Also, his mug was now free.  
He grabbed the mug, reaching between Steve and Bucky and not at all bothering to keep out of the latter’s personal space. He felt Bucky’s huff of amusement tickle his neck. Feeling his breath on his skin did something that Clint wasn’t really willing to look into right now. Or hadn’t been willing to look into for a few weeks now.

He hastily moved back and without rinsing but it under the coffee machine. Leaning against the counter he crossed his arms, planning to fall asleep waiting on his coffee. Every minute counted, and Clint had fallen asleep standing before.

Instead Steve caught his attention and signed at him.

‘ _Gross_ ’ 

Then he pointed to his mug. 

Clint, for his part, was thinking really, really hard what Steve was on about. Although the caffeine did little for him anymore, he still was pretty sure Steve liked coffee. Also, why would Steve choose this particular to finally voice his disdain for coffee to the world? Or rather, too Clint. 

So again, Clint just blinked.

Then he noticed Bucky’s bemused look on his face, and he realised what Steve’s problem was.

‘Bucky is not gross.’ He said. That, and actually taking time to rinse the cup just caused it to take even longer before he actually got his coffee.

Steve just rolled his eyes but Bucky’s face just split open in a bigger grin. 

And, and Clint had to look away. Because he was just that damn pretty. Bucky didn’t often smile that broadly, but it seemed to happen more and more every time Clint was around. And maybe, some time in history, Clint would’ve been head over heels to ask him out., throwing out every bad pick-up line he had picked up. Now? Now he knew better. Clint Barton and romantic relationships? No, those two really didn’t mix. The way he had screwed up everything with Jess had been the final nail in that particular coffin.

He was glad Bucky was finally opening up. Maybe their weekly movie nights had even helped to make him more feel at home. Or maybe that time when they had poker night and Clint had made sure all the kings and aces miraculously kept showing up in Bucky’s hand. Or that time when he had badgered Bucky to join him walking Lucky, and that when they had been caught in that rainstorm and that they had to take shelter under that bridge and they suddenly had stood very close and the way the soft orange lights had made Bucky look so _warm_ even though they both had been drenched and the way Bucky had suddenly burst out laughing and he had looked _beautiful_ and-

Clint softly shook his head.

Better keep a bit more distance.

He brushed his hand through his hair, picked up the now-filled coffee cup and made his way back to his room. Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry anymore.

  
-o0o-

Bucky watched Clint go and he felt the kind of fondness that just felt that kind of soft inside. 

‘Im gonna do it.’ He said

Steve just sighed.

‘It’s gonna work.’ Bucky insisted.

‘Buck. I know you like him, and for all his merits, Clint is the most oblivious person I have ever met. It’s not gonna work.’

‘Wanna bet?’

‘You’re better off just asking him out.’

‘I… _wanna bet?_ ’

  
-o0o-

That night his own pantry still very much empty. Most of the time J.A.R.V.I.S. made sure there was something to eat. Luckily Tony was a man of luxury and made sure all his floors were heated, otherwise his feet would be freezing off. He had only grabbed one of his purple hoodies and his non-descriptive grey sweats. Luckily this one’s cord was still in one piece. It was the new one Kate had gotten him after he had told her about the Tracksuit Mafia incident.

Natasha and Sam were inexplicably playing Smash Brothers, Tony was sitting at the kitchen taking apart what was probably once been a Switch, all the while he was muttering to himself. Or J.A.R.V.I.S., or whatever. Bucky was sitting on the couch, controller abandoned next to him and replaced by some science fiction novel on his lap. His legs were outstretched and his feet were resting on the coffee table. Feet wearing glaringly bright purple socks.  
Huh. Neat.

‘Nice socks.’ He said before he could stop himself. But, well, those were some good socks.

Bucky looked up and the moment he caught sight of Clint he smiled.

‘I know.’ He said. 

And, what the hell kind of answer was that?

Clint rubbed the nape of his neck.

‘Where you’d buy ‘em?’ he asked momentarily haven forgotten his promise to himself to keep a bit of distance from the guy. Only after a second, he realised that asking a guy where he bought his socks while he wasn’t wearing any was another kind sad. Like Clint normally went without socks through his life and didn’t have any clue where to get him. And, Clint might be clueless but he wasn’t _that_ clueless.

‘I didn’t buy ‘em.’

‘Oh.’  
  
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Bucky looking expectantly at Clint and Clint not knowing what the hell he was expecting. 

Their staring contest was broken when Natasha chucked her control away from her.

‘Using random items is _not_ a tactic, Wilson.’ She growled.

Sam just raised his palms placatingly, while the smirk on his face was everything but placating. 

‘Hey, there in the game, I’m just using them Widow.’ 

‘Humphf.’ Natasha huffed as she unfolded her legs and stalked to a kitchen, rattling glass signalling she was digging through the cabinets for vodka.

Bucky grabbed the controller laying next to him. 

‘Wanna go a round?’

And, and, playing a game couldn’t hurt? Friends played video games together, and Clint and Bucky were defiantly friends. It wouldn’t be fair to just start ignoring Bucky. Hell, Clint was trying _not_ to hurt any one’s feelings. That was the point.

Yeah, he was totally lying to himself. But at the moment he couldn’t find himself to care. Bucky wanted to play games. He knew how to do that. He beamed a smile at Bucky.

‘You’re on.’

-o0o-

As the end of the year neared things went a bit quiet on the supervillain front. Maybe they were just stockpiling fireworks so they could build easy superbombs to set off on New Years eve. Or maybe they suddenly felt like celebrating the holidays. The only thing that happened was a call from Kate, telling him that she was tacking Lucky to the West coast for the holidays and oh-yeah-I-broke-your-sink-and-now-your-apartment-is-flooded-so-you-can’t-come-home-but-don’t-worry-I-already-called-a-carpenter. So it seemed that he was spending the last weeks of the year at the tower. And it wasn’t the end of the world, actually, it was kind of nice now that the team had started to actually work together instead of infighting all the time.  
It however also meant he was constantly confronted with Bucky.  
Or rather, Bucky kept confronting him.  
  


-o0o-

Stretching he walked into the tower’s gym. It was still early, it was very early. But yesterday Natasha had decided that she was done sitting around doing nothing and that Clint was going to suffer for it. They had spent the whole day sparring together, going through almost all the different kind of weapons Steve and Tony had stocked the armoury with. Hell, they even used swords, one of the few weapons even Natasha couldn’t beat him with. He had collapsed on his bed after dinner and slept like the dead but had woken before his alarm, and for once feeling truly rested. Hell, he even had decided to do some cardio and went to the gym fully expecting to be the only one there. Instead, he was confronted with Bucky.  
Bucky, currently beating up a punching bag, wearing the sweats that looked oddly close to the ones he had spent half an hour looking for this morning.

Clint narrowed his eyes.

That was… odd.  
Bucky must’ve heard him coming in because he momentarily stopped his exercise, steadying the punching bag with his right hand so it wouldn’t swing back to hit him. He was already sweating a bit, and the way the almost two sizes too small shirts left little of those muscles to fantasy.

Clint swallowed.

‘You’re up early.’ Bucky said. It didn’t sound like an accusation, just a little surprised.

‘Jep.’ Clint said, popping the P and very, very hard pretending that his throat had not just gone dry. 

Normally when Bucky was training he wore his full gear, and while it looked almost criminally good on him, the new look of ‘casual-training-Bucky’ did something entirely new to Clint. He looked… softer in a way. That somehow Bucky had somehow acquired a pair of sweats that looked like they had come straight of Clint’s floor also didn’t help the matter.

They stayed silent for another few seconds and Clint was suddenly wondering where those silences had come from. Each of them just staring at each other, waiting for them to say something. Clint was definitely not going to say anything right now, he was still trying to stop imaging how quickly he could pull those few clothes off of Bucky.  
‘Wanna go for a few rounds?’ Bucky eventually asked, motioning to the sparring mat.

No, Clint thought that was the last thing he needed right now.

‘Yeah, sure.’ He treacherous mouth said, and Bucky smirked and Clint was sure he was going to be the death of him.

-o0o-

That night Clint was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, unwillingly replaying the moment Bucky had pinned him against the mat, his wrist locked in Bucky’s hand and his arms outstretched above him. Their noses almost touching and Bucky’s breath brushing against his lips.

Oh man, he was fucked, he was totally, and utterly, fucked.

-o0o-

The next week Steve, Tony and Bucky were called on by S.H.I.E.L.D. Clint couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved. Avoiding Bucky without it being obvious had turned out to be a hell of a chore. Wherever he went, there was Bucky. Bucky, suddenly wearing oddly familiar baggy clothes looking utterly relaxed and charming. Clint didn’t know how long he could survive it anymore.

But, he had promised himself, no dating team members. It had not _once_ ended well, and Bucky really didn’t deserve a screw-up like Clint. Hell, he was pretty sure Bobbi and Jess had deserved something better too. 

Now that a big part of the core Avengers team was gone Clint could finally eat his cereal in peace.

That was, until Natasha walked in the common room. Clint hummed something in greeting, still not feeling totally awake. 

‘Morning to you too.’ she said, not looking up from her phone as she rounded the kitchen island, eventually sitting on the stool next to Clint. She was still furiously typing, and a small part of Clint’s mind wondered if she was caught in another argument on twitter. A bigger part of his mind was lamenting the fact that his mug of coffee was nearly empty. Maybe he should just start making his cereal with coffee instead of with milk. That way he wouldn’t run out of coffee before his breakfast was done.  
‘J.A.R.V.I.S., can you please stream Daily Bugle’s Hot-Topics of this morning?’ Natasha asked, and Clint looked up. 

They never watched the Daily Bugle. They certainly never watched the Daily Bugle’s Hot-Topics, them being kitschy videos posted on the paper’s site, discussing the latest gossip of the celebratory world. One time they had done a whole video on Steve, Tony, and Pepper, speculating that the latter had been cheating with the first. It had all been bull of course, and it had inexplicably ended with Tony pulling Steve down to smack a kiss on his lips in front of maybe fifty cameras, while Pepper stood facepalming in the background.

Man, he should get that picture framed and hang it somewhere in the tower, it was great.  
One of the holo screens appeared in front of them and Clint was still wondering where the closest printer was when the obnoxious voice of the presenter sounded through the kitchen.

‘JAMES BARNES, FORMER CRIMINAL, CURRENT AVENGER, DATING FELLOW VIGILANTE HAWKEYE?’

And Clint choked on his cereal. 

‘What!?’ he shouted, dropping the spoon on the table.

On the screen, their three team-mates were doing a press conference. All three of them looked a bit tired. They were wearing their citizen’s clothes, obviously having just stripped down from the fight. Glaringly different from the rest was Bucky, wearing a lilac hoodie with ‘I LOVE HAWKEYE’ written on it, it with every word underlined with an arrow. It was a hoodie designed for Kate’s merchandise line, something that had never ended up being produced. Still, Kate had made sure to give one of few that were made to him, knowing he was a sucker for merchandise. He had worn the thing until one day one of the sleeves had torn. Not willing to throw it away Clint had tossed it in one of his closets in Bed-Stuy, planning to keep it as one of his momentos.  
Now Bucky was wearing it, metal arm peeking through the tear and all. Not only that, he was wearing it on _television_. While the presenter was still doing a story about Bucky’s and Kate’s apparent blooming new romance Clint practically fell from his chair.

He turned to Natasha, pointing at the screen. 

‘That’s _my_ hoodie.’ he said.

Idly Natasha looked up from her phone.

‘Oh, now you notice.’

‘I- what?’

‘Clint, he has been breaking into your room and stealing clothes for what must be weeks now. That you still have clothes left is honestly a miracle.’

‘I, He- What? Why the hell would he do that?’

Natasha slid from the chair, pocketing her phone as she went.

‘Gee, I don’t know.’ She deadpanned, leaving the kitchen just as abrupt as she had entered. ’Why don’t you ask him.’

And dumbfounded Clint kept staring at the holo screen. Watched as Bucky looked oddly mismatched from the rest, glaring at the crowd and looking like he rather wanted to growl instead of talk. All the while wearing a soft purple hoodie. _His_ soft purple hoodie. And as he watched Bucky fiddle slightly with the worn edges of the sleeves, rolling them up slightly as they were way too long for him, Clint got an idea.

A very, very stupid idea.

Maybe the stupidest idea he had had in a long time.

Man, what a stupid idea.

-o0o-

It took him three days before making a decision. Quite a long time for somebody who was almost infamous for his impulsiveness. His mouth was dry the whole walk through the city. His heart was in his throat the whole walk back home, the fancy tiny paper bag in his hand felt as if it weighed more than the world. The last time he had felt this nervous was just before his first circus performance. Hell, he was sure he hadn’t even felt this nervous asking Bobbi to marry him.  
He practically threw the paper bag into one of his closets and slammed the door shut.

So stupid.

-o0o-

Meanwhile Steve, Tony and Bucky had made their way back to the tower. Christmas came and went, and it was surprisingly uneventful. Bucky kept wearing the lilac hoodie in public, and once Kate even called him about it.

‘ _I swear it Clint you have to burn it, do you know how difficult it is going grocery shopping with a thousand reporters on my trail? A lot! A lot difficult!’_

No, Christmas was uneventful. New years eve was a blast with way too much alcohol, with Clint for once staying clear from the stuff, cutting back ever since Barney had left. It was thus that Clint was the first one back in the trashed common room. Trashed because Tony had hosted an after-party that was almost bigger than the feast the President had invited them too. Little tiny robots were making soft little happy sounds clearing up the trash, and Clint carefully made his way to the kitchen on his hunt for coffee, avoiding bot and glass alike. The trashed common room felt like a garden with freshly fallen snow, soaking up all the sounds after a winter storm.  
Clint was thinking about the Dog Cops Christmas special he still hadn’t gotten time to watch, planning to do it this morning while the rest of the team slept off their hangover, when he froze.

Standing in the kitchen was Bucky. Drinking from Clint’s mug, while a second filled mug with a red star was standing next to him on the counter. Not only was Bucky holding _his_ mug, he was also wearing _his_ hoodie, _his_ socks, _his_ sweats. His sweats, with the now broken cords sagging to Bucky’s, making the purple lingerie Clint had bought and shoved in his closet clearly visible. Hell, the tag was even dangling out.

Bucky was leaning against the fridge, casually taking a sip from the mug. Then he smirked, the asshole _goddamn_ smirked. 

‘Goodmorning.’ He said.

‘Why.’ Clint asked, vaguely motioning to Bucky’s dress-up, his nerves not really allowing him to utter more than one word.

For a second Bucky looked confused, like it wasn’t the question he had been expecting. He took another sip from his coffee, cocked his head a little.

‘Because I like you.’ He eventually said, talking a bit slower as if to make sure Clint got all of it. 

‘I, but-’

‘And I guess you bought it for me so it would a shame to let it just sit in your closet.’

And Clint could feel the blood rush to his cheeks.

‘I didn’t think you’d actually do it-’

‘Well, I did it anyway.’ 

For another second the kept staring at each other, Bucky still with the mug at his lips and Clint feeling dumbfounded.

Finally, Clint slumped his shoulders and dragged a hand through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was.

‘Bucky, you really don’t want to-’

A hand caught his wrist, carefully pulling it away from his face. A second hand gently tilted up his chin, forcing him to look Bucky in the eye.

‘I really want too, and nothing except ‘no’ is going to change my mind.’ He said, and Clint shivered at the soft-spoken words. 

‘But-’

‘No buts, those can come later. Just a yes or a no.’

And, and, and-

Futz.

Futz it.

This time was going to be different.

And Bucky’s eyes widened for a second as Clint suddenly kissed him. A moment later they melted into each other. And all Clint’s worries were forgotten, months of anxiety washed away from him as he suddenly found himself exactly where he wanted to be, was supposed to be.  
  
Fin

**Author's Note:**

> Have a wonderful year y'all
> 
> <3


End file.
